


What's Your Favorite Color

by NeverAndAlways



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Bones, Bones is So Done, Childbirth, Gen, Hurt Spock, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mpreg, No Slash, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Pregnant Spock, Star Trek Beyond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-11-06 07:57:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11031942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverAndAlways/pseuds/NeverAndAlways
Summary: My re-telling of the 'second act' of Star Trek Beyond. Not in the same 'verse as my previous Star Trek fics, just an idea I wanted to play around with.





	1. Chapter 1

Spock is pregnant.

The  _Enterprise's_ crew -- at least, the senior staff -- all knew about his desire to help rebuild his species. They knew how important it was to him; after their conflict with Nero, only a few thousand Vulcans were left, scattered across the galaxy. The thing is, they didn't expect him to be doing the actual...well, building. No one questioned it when he went on solo away missions. He wouldn't have told them, anyway. But when his uniforms went from a little tight around the middle to a full-on bump, then there were eyebrows raised. But he kept up with his duties, and all rumblings about resigning his commission seemed to have stopped. So the crew just let it pass, and tried not to stare.

The  _Enterprise_ received her orders for the Abronath mission just as Spock entered his ninth month of pregnancy. It was a potentially dangerous mission, not to mention being deeper in space than the ship had ever gone. The crew -- Kirk, in particular -- were concerned, but there was nothing they could do. Spock insisted he was fine, and that was that. So off they went, with no idea of what was in store.

 

* * *

 

 

The escape pod sits precariously on an outcrop of rock, breathing smoke. Bones pulls himself free. First things first, where the hell are they? He looks around, but there aren't many answers. Just volcanic rock in every direction. Fantastic. He leans on the pod for a moment to catch his breath -- and it groans. He damn near jumps out of his skin.

Except it wasn't the pod. It was Spock.

Slowly and with great difficulty, Spock lowers himself to the ground. His eyes are screwed shut, his face is pale and drawn, and in a moment Bones can see why: there's a gash running along his ribs, just above his belly, rapidly oozing green into his uniform.

"God, Spock! Sit up over here..." Bones helps him over to lean on an undamaged part of the pod, doing his best to triage at the same time. The gash is deep. Very deep. And in this environment, it's probably contaminated already. First step is to stop the bleeding. "Just try to relax. You'll be okay."

Spock cracks his eyes open. "The forced optimism of your voice suggests you are trying to elicit a sense of calm in order to--"

"Oh, cut the horseshit." Bones starts to hunt around in the wreckage. Spock gives him a fishy look.

"Doctor, I fail to see how excrement of any kind is relevant to our current situation." Spock pushes off from the pod and starts to hobble away.

Bones goes after him. "What the hell are you doing?"

"We must keep moving."

"Spock, you are extremely pregnant, and you're also bleeding freely from a very deep wound."

"Time is a critical factor."

"That's exactly what I'm trying to tell you. Look, if I can't stop the bleeding, you and the baby will die. If I can't clean it out, you'll get one hell of an infection, and you and the baby will die." Bones leads Spock back to the pod as he talks.

"I cannot see the appeal in either situation."

"Yeah, neither can I." Bones goes back to hunting around the pod. His search uncovers a sheet of material the length of his forearm, which he pounds with a rock until a splinter breaks off. "So, if I remember correctly, Vulcans have their hearts where humans have their livers."

"That is correct, doctor," Spock pants, pressing his hand into his side.

"That explains something." Bones takes a phaser from cockpit. "Y'know, you're lucky. If you'd been on the other side--" he aims the phaser at the sharpest end of the splinter and fires for a good five seconds. "--you'd be dead already." the tip of the splinter is glowing faintly when he holds it up. He ambles over to Spock. "Okay, Spock, I just have one question...what's your favorite color?" before Spock can answer, Bones plunges the tip of the splinter into the wound, cauterizing it very effectively. Spock's yell echoes off the canyon walls. When Bones removes the splinter, he looks a little apologetic. But at least the bleeding's stopped. "They say it hurts less if it's a surprise."

Once Spock catches his breath, he glares up at Bones. "To use a language with which you are familiar," he croaks, "I can confirm your theory to be horseshit."

Bones smirks and helps him to his feet.  _Now_ they can get going.

 

¤¤¤

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like the story, please leave a comment -- I'd love to hear from you!


	2. Chapter 2

Altamid is an unforgiving place. Rock and more rock as far as the eye can see, hour after hour. No trees. No bushes. No grass. It's starting to feel like they're going in circles. And Spock is having an increasingly tough time of it; between the injury (which Bones suspects is still bleeding internally) and the ten or so extra pounds he's carrying, he's having to stop pretty often. He's never still for more than a few minutes, though, before he heaves himself to his feet and trudges on. Which is getting more difficult with each stop.

"For god's sake, sit back down before you hurt yourself." Bones skids down the side of a hill, scattering bits of rubble. Spock is at the bottom of the hill, trying vainly to stand up from a large outcrop of rock.

"Need I remind you, doctor that we are in unknown and possibly hostile territory. We must keep moving."

"Unknown, yes. But this is the best vantage point we could get to, and I don't see anyone or anything for miles, so would you just  _sit down_ _?_ You're makin' me nervous."

Spock lowers himself back down. "You are certain?"

"It's probably the safest place around. Catch yer breath, then we can get going." Bones joins him on the outcrop and gives him an appraising look. What he wouldn't give for his tricorder right now. "How're you feeling?"

Spock takes a shallow breath, and winces. "I am well enough."

"Any dizziness? Shortness of breath? Chest pain?" Spock shakes his head. Just for good measure, though, Bones reaches out and lays a hand on the pulse point below the Commander's ear. Spock startles and glares as though offended.

"Doctor --"

"Just checking, Spock. Old-fashioned medicine." Bones pulls away. He's not clammy, at least, and his pulse is okay. For now. But time is of the essence here; the sooner Spock gets that wound treated, the better. Bones gets up. "I'm gonna walk ahead a little, see what I can find. If you need me, just holler, okay?" he makes it a couple yards before realizing Spock hasn't answered. When he turns around, the Commander is sitting drawn around his belly, with a grimace on his face and one hand clutching the edge of the rock. Fighting the urge to swear, Bones hurries back to him.

"I thought you said it didn't hurt?"

"I apologize, doctor," Spock grits out the words, "but we have far more pressing concerns at the moment."

"Yeah, and you're one of 'em." Bones crouches and gently presses the area around the injury. It doesn't feel hugely swollen, thank god, but that doesn't answer his question. "Where's the pain coming from? Can you pinpoint it?"

Instead of his chest or his side, as Bones would have expected, Spock's hand moves down to his belly. And Bones' heart falls to his stomach.

"Here." Spock says simply, as though it weren't already evident.

The doctor has to take a moment and collect his thoughts. He's not sure he wants to know the answer to this. "Is it steady, or does it come and go?"

"It comes and goes. In decreasing intervals since we arrived."

"...You mean to tell me you're having contractions?"

"Yes."

Bones shuts his eyes, pinches the bridge of his nose. Angry and scared don't go well together. "Great. Fantastic. I was just thinking we need another goddamn wrench in the plans. When were you gonna tell me this, exactly?"

"As I said before," Spock gets to his feet. "we have--"

"--more pressing concerns. Yeah, I know." Bones stands up. "Well, let's see how far we get, and hopefully we can find some shelter."

Spock nods once and sets off. Bones brings up the rear, a few steps behind. He shakes his head. As if today couldn't get any worse.

 

* * *

 

"McCoy to _Enterprise_ , come in.  _Enterprise_ , please respond."

They're still walking. Picking their way from one pile of rocks to the next. A cloudbank moved in just after they arrived, so it's hard to tell the time, but it feels like they've been here for hours. And Spock is still going, somehow, even with the contractions getting worryingly close. Bones' mind is racing. At this rate Spock will deliver long before they can find help, and while that's not the worst-case scenario, it's pretty bad. He's flipping through his mental rolodex as fast as he can, in search of something to make this easier, or at least moderately safe. So far he's found nothing.

"Take it easy Spock, you need to save your energy." Spock is struggling up an incline a few yards ahead. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows; he doesn't even slow down when Bones calls him.

"I understand, doctor," he calls back, and disappears through a rocky tunnel. Dammit. Bones follows.

It's a dead end on the other side -- at first glance, anyway. There's a cave entrance just above the ground. Clean-cut, and too precise to be naturally occurring. Spock is still, gazing into it with that damn contemplative look on his face.

"Fascinating," he says.

"Ominous. Dark. Dangerous," says Bones. Spock gives him a withering look and starts toward it. Of course. Bones sighs. "And we're going in."

Inside is chilly and damp, like most caves, but people have definitely been here. It's been turned into a wide, circular room, the porous rock smoothed down and carved with various shapes. Spock walks around the perimeter and peers at the shapes.

"Intriguing," he says quietly. "These symbols are the same as those depicted on the artifact taken in the attack."

"You think it came from here?"

"It would seem so."

Spock wanders on, but only for a few more steps before a contraction takes him by surprise. He cries out and crumples to the ground before Bones can catch him.

"Dammit, Spock." Bones kneels and helps him sit up. "Easy, easy...try not to fight it."

The contraction is over as quickly as it started, but Spock still seems winded. With Bones' help, he scoots back to sit against the wall so he can catch his breath. He glances down and swears.

"What is it?"

"I believe my water has broken."

Bones follows his gaze down to see a small but growing wet patch on the floor. "Damn." then he looks back up. "I guess we're gonna be here a while."

 

¤¤¤


	3. Chapter 3

"Spock. Spock, wake up, dammit!"

Spock opens his eyes. Without breaking eye contact, he pointedly moves Bones' hands from either side of his face.

"I am entirely conscious, Doctor. I was simply conserving my energy, as you said."

Bones eyes him for a moment, then sits back down. Half of him wants to be frustrated at Spock's stubbornness. The other half is impressed at the guy's ability to keep his cool. He's been timing the contractions, and they aren't getting any slower. He's got to be right in the middle of the transition phase by now. Bones looks askance at Spock. The Commander's face is flushed and sweaty, and he seems to be deep in concentration. He clenches his jaw; Bones mentally jots down another contraction. Two minutes now.

"You asked me why Lieutenant Uhura and I parted ways," Spock says abruptly, once the contraction is over.

"I thought you were resting," says Bones, half-joking. Spock ignores him and presses on.

"I became concerned, in the light of Vulcan's demise, that I owed a debt of duty to my species."

Bones cocks an eyebrow. Where's he going with this?

"Since this requires me to no longer be monogamous, and since I would frequently be gravid, she believed it would have an adverse affect on our relationship."

"Yeah, I can see how she would."

"I intended to discuss it with her further, but current circumstances intervened." he closes his eyes and leans back, as though winded by the effort of speaking.

"And here we are." Bones sighs. "Spock, are you sure about this whole 'rebuilding your species' thing? It's gonna take a lot out of you."

"I am aware of the risks, Doctor." Spock shifts uncomfortably. "That is why I intend to concentrate my efforts on New Vulcan. There are many others who share the same goal."

It takes a moment for the words to sink in. "...You're leaving Starfleet?" Spock looks away.

"It will be unfair to the crew and to the child if I remain on the  _Enterprise_ while pregnant. I will be a hindrance at best, and a liability at worst."

"I guess I can understand that, but...what did Jim think of all this?"

"I could not find the time to tell him." Spock's attention is starting to wander. There's another contraction coming.

"Well, I can tell you he's not gonna like that...hell, I don't know what he'd do without you." Bones shrugs. "I mean, me on the other hand, I'd throw a party, but--"

He's interrupted by two things at once. Beside him, Spock lets out a quiet whine as a new contraction takes over; outside, a distant hum swells into engine noise. At least he can ignore the latter for now. He watches with trepidation as Spock tents his legs and braces against the wall.

"Hey, take it easy, Spock--"

"There is a sharp increase in pressure," Spock pants, "I may have to give birth here."

"Not if I can help it." Bones hesitates a split second. Then he stands up. "I hear engines out there; they're probably locals and if we're lucky, they might be able to help. C'mon." he helps Spock to his feet, loops an arm over his shoulders, and sets off toward the mouth of the cave.

 

* * *

 

Just a few steps past the door, Bones' comlink buzzes. He grabs it from his pocket with his free hand and flips it open. Spock unhooks himself to lean on a nearby rock. He's barely staying upright.

A burst of static comes from the comlink. "*****-k to co-*****"

"McCoy and Spock to  _Enterprise_ crew, come in  _Enterprise_ crew." the comm is silent. "...Anyone." he waits a moment. Then another moment. Still nothing. He shuts the comlink and turns to Spock. "Come on, Spock. You can make it." he loops Spock's arm over his shoulder again. Spock groans; he's just coming down from another contraction. Bones steers him toward the sound of the engines.

"Leaving me behind will significantly increase your chances of survival, Doctor," he croaks.

"Well, that's damn chivalrous of you, but completely out of the question."

"It is imperative that you locate any surviving crew."

"And here I was, thinking you cared."

They stop. The engine sounds come up from behind a spire of rock and out into the open, and they are definitely not local. It's a trio of Krall's ships. The darts. Catching sight of them, the ships spread out into formation and surround them. Bones' heart sinks; there's no way out of this one. End of the line. Spock detaches himself again and takes a few steps forward.

"Of course I care, Leonard," he says quietly. "I always assumed my respect for you was clear." he turns to look at Bones. "The dialogue we have had across the years has always--"

"It's okay, Spock. You don't have to say it." Bones turns so they're standing back-to-back. The ships close in. "Well," he adds, more to himself than to Spock, "at least I won't die alone."

Suddenly, there's a familiar sound behind him: the hum of a transporter beam. He turns around. Spock is gone.

Of course. Just like every other mission, he gets stuck with the monster du jour. Bones grits his teeth. "Well, that's just typical." he squares his stance, takes a breath as the ships close in. If he's going to go down, he'll go down fighting.

" _Come on, you bastards!"_ he bellows, staring down the lead ship--

\--then everything glitters and suddenly, he's standing in a transporter room. And he feels...scrambled. As his eyes refocus, he notices Scotty at the controls. Scotty smiles as though Bones had simply walked through the door.

"Good to see you in one piece, Doctor," he says cheerfully.

"Am I?" he's almost afraid to move in case he falls apart. "I feel like my innards have been to a barn dance."

Scotty walks onto the transporter pad and claps Bones on the shoulder. "Aye, well, these old transporters were only ever used for cargo, but a few modifications seem to do the trick." he walks with Bones into an adjacent room, where Spock is standing with Captain Kirk. "I thought it best to beam you one at a time, though. Y'know, in case you got...spliced."

"I couldn't imagine a worse scenario," says Bones. He zeroes in on Spock.

"Good to have you back. You alright?" Kirk sounds a little winded.

"Yeah, I'm fine.  _He's_ in trouble." Bones nods to Spock, who's propping himself up on the wall with one hand on his belly.

Spock brushes him off and speaks to Kirk instead. "I am functioning adequately, Captain."

"Like hell. You're in active labor, Spock, it's a wonder you're still standing."

"You  _what_ _?"_ a look of alarm crosses Kirk's face. Spock brushes him off as well.

"Captain, we discovered that the stolen artifact appears to have come from this p--" he doesn't even get a whole sentence out before the contraction starts and knocks him off his feet. Kirk and Bones manage to catch him before he hits the floor. Bones looks around. Scotty is standing just opposite with Chekov and someone he doesn't recognize. No time for introductions; he juts his chin toward them.

"Are there any medical supplies on this thing?"

The stranger, a young woman with white skin and black markings, steps into action. "This way." she takes them out of the room, down a hallway to another room -- a lounge of some sort -- where she produces a toolbox from a shelf. Which is full of medical supplies, but they might as well be medieval. Bones sifts through them for something he can use. Meanwhile, Kirk leads Spock to a couch in the corner.

"Alright. Lie down, come on--" he helps ease Spock down onto the cushions. And while they wait for the next contraction to hit, he tries to fill the silence. "Maybe you should've stayed on Earth after all, huh?"

"I am the First Officer. I have a duty to this ship and her crew."

"Yeah, and you're also pregnant. So we're breaking about twenty Starfleet regulations anyway, just by havin' you onboard." he smirks, although his tone is serious. He's never cared much about rules. Spock tries to return the smirk, although it comes out as more of a grimace. His breathing kicks up a notch. Kirk turns around. "Bones?"

"I'm comin'." Bones trots across the room with a handful of supplies, which he lays out on the end of the couch. "These things are from the dark ages," he grouses, holding one up to the light. It's rectangular, with a light at one end and a large crack at the other. "Pretty sure this is a protoplaser; should stop the internal bleeding." he puts it down. "But you're stable for now, so let's get this kid out first. If you wouldn't mind," he makes a shooing gesture at Scotty, Chekov, and the stranger, who seem only too happy to leave the room. Kirk scoots out of his way, but stays put. "Jim, you sure you wanna stay for this?"

Kirk doesn't even hesitate. "Of course. Moral support, right?" he quirks a lopsided smile at Spock, who gives a rather thin smile back.

"Suit yourself." Bones rolls up his sleeves. "Alright, Spock, let's get these off you. First things first, we gotta find out where you're at..." working quickly, he helps Spock out of his pants and shoes, then gets him situated. The next pain rolls in a moment later; Spock tenses up against it. A look of distress crosses his face.

"Doctor--"

Bones doesn't even have time to answer. Spock automatically spreads his knees apart, drops his chin to his chest, and bears down hard. Bones watches, counting under his breath.

"I guess that's where we're at," he says rather matter-of-factly. The contraction ends, leaving Spock to catch his breath for the next one. "Keep that up, Spock, you're almost at the finish line." Bones puts a knee up on the couch and positions himself between Spock's feet, the better to keep an eye on his progress. When Spock starts to bear down again, his eyes widen. "Good god. You weren't kidding."

"What?" Kirk looks up, concerned.

"Crowning already. I'm gonna need your jacket in a moment." Kirk stands up and hurriedly wiggles out of his jacket while Bones turns his attention back to his patient. "Careful, Spock, not so hard. Let yourself open up." Spock grimaces, but lets his knees fall to the side and visibly tries to relax.

"You're doin' great, buddy," says Kirk, tossing his jacket to Bones.

"Push a little slower on this one," Bones adds. Spock heaves a deep breath, almost a gasp, and grunts hard into the push, pulling back on his knees so that his legs bracket his belly.

"Again."

Two more contractions. Three. Four. Somewhere on the ship, music starts up. Loud and raucous, the kind Kirk likes (what does he call it? AC-something?). The Captain glances toward the sound and smiles briefly; Bones rolls his eyes. Between them, Spock lets out a ragged-edged sound that draws Bones' attention back.

"Easy, easy. Head's out; you're almost there. One or two more pushes and you'll have him." Bones cracks a rare smile of his own. Spock seems to ignore him. He takes another deep breath and bears down into the contraction, hissing a Vulcan curse between his teeth.

"Again, c'mon. Push hard." Spock's face flushes green. Bones cradles the baby's head in one hand and gently helps to work the shoulders loose. "One more--"

Then Spock shouts, and it's over. Bones is lifting a tiny, wiggly newborn, cradling it with one arm, and he's grinning. He uses one sleeve of the jacket to clean the baby up (with an apologetic glance to Kirk). He takes a small, thin gadget from the pile and holds it against the cord. A flash of light, and the connection is cut. Then he wraps the baby up in the jacket and -- finally -- hands it to Spock.

"Congratulations, Commander. It's a boy. Ten fingers, ten toes, two pointy ears."

Awkwardly, and with some help from Kirk, Spock sits up so he can hold the baby properly. He spends a few moments just looking; tracing the shape of its little bald head and round nose and rounder cheeks and ears that are barely starting to point. He doesn't smile. But when he lays his head back and shuts his eyes, he looks absolutely content.

 

¤¤¤

**Author's Note:**

> If you like the story, please leave a comment -- I'd love to hear from you!


End file.
